Machines for shaping shoe uppers over lasts



June 27, 1961 N. v. GERMANY 2,989,761

MACHINES FOR SHAPING SHOE UPPERS OVER LASTS Filed Nov. 19, 1958 fnuen tor Norman V fiermarzy By his Attorney United States Patent 2,989,761 MACHINES FOR SHAPING SHOE UPPERS OVER LASTS Norman Victor Germany, Leicester, England, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N.J.,

a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 774,943 Claims priority, application Great Britain Dec. 4, 1957 1 Claim. (Cl. 12-7.8)'

This invention relates to machines for shaping shoe uppers over lasts and is herein illustrated in its application to machines for shaping over lasts shoe uppers having outwardly flanged bottom margins and cement attaching the outwardly flanged margins to the margin of an extension sole. A machine of this type is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,524,883, granted October 10, 1950, on an application filed in the name of Frank C. Choice.

Machines of the type disclosed in the Choice patent above identified presuppose the temporary attachment of an extension sole to a last by means, such for example, as tacks driven through the sole and into the last bottom. In order to eliminate the operation of temporarily attaching the sole to the last and to obviate the damage to the last by the driving of tacks into its bottom face it is proposed to provide, in a machine of this type, means for positioning a loose midsole relatively to a last in the machine. The term loose midsole hereinafter employed shall be understood to mean an insole which is not attached directly to the last or to a shoe part mounted on the last.

With the above object in view the present invention in one aspect thereof consists in the provision in a machine of the type above referred to having means for positioning a last relatively to the operating instrumentalities, of means for positioning a loose midsole relatively to the last. In the illustrated organization means is provided for positioning the toe portion of the midsole and other means is provided for positioning the rear part of the midsole and thereby determining the angular disposition of the midsole relatively to the operating instrumentalities. As herein illustrated, the rear part of the, midsole is positioned by members movable toward and from each other into engagement with opposite edge faces of the midsole, said members having mounted thereon means illustrated as collars for supporting the midsole by engagement with opposite marginal portions thereof. The illustrated positioning members are mounted on a slide for adjustive movement lengthwise of a shoe in the machine and the slide is mounted on a second slide which is adjustable widthwise of the shoe to accommodate the positioning member to the angular disposition of the rear part of the shoe relatively to the forepart.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating the sole positioning and supporting means of the present invention incorporated in a machine of the type illustrated in the patent to Choice No. 2,524,883, above referred to;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation illustrating the sole supporting means;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation on a reduced scale illustrating means for supporting and. positioning a shoe last in the machine; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevation similar to FIG. 2 showing in cross section a sole mounted on the supporting means and a shoe last and upper positioned above the sole.

Illustrated in the drawings is a machine for shaping the toe portions of stitchdown uppers over lasts, this ma- 2,989,761 Patented June 27, 1961' ICC chine in its general organization being substantially the same as the machine disclosed in the patent above re.- ferred to.

The illustrated machine has a flat work supporting plate 10 having the general shape of the toe portion of a shoe but somewhat larger in area than the toe portion of the bottom of the last employed in the manufacture of the largest shoe to be operated upon by the machine. The plate 10 is secured to three studs 12 secured to and projecting upwardly from a bar 14.

For positioning the toe portion of the last the illustrated machine is provided with a pair of fingers 16 which engage the periphery of the last at opposite sides of its, toe portion. For positioning the toe portion of an extension sole the end portions of the fingers 16 have undercut recesses which terminate in shoulders 18 which engage the edge face of the sole thereby to position the sole lengthwise and widthwise of the plate 10 in predeter mined relation to a last positioned upon the sole.

For positioning the central and heel end portions of the sole the illustrated machine is provided with sole locating means comprising a pair of positioning members arranged to engage opposite side portions of the shank portion of the sole. The illustrated positioning members comprise stems 20 extending upwardly substantially heightwise of a shoe in the machine from blocks 22 which are pivotally mounted on pins 24 extending substantially widthwise of the machine and carried by the upwardly extending arms 26 comprising the vertical portions of hell crank levers having horizontal arms 28 extending inward ly toward each other and terminating in gear segments which intermesh to cause equal and opposite rocking movement of the bell crank levers about pivot pins 30 on which they are mounted. Such rocking movement of the bell crank levers causes the work supporting members to move in unison toward or from each other widthwise of a shoe in the machine thereby to position a sole of whatever size so that its longitudinal median line registers with the longitudinal median line of the shoe in the machine; A tension spring 32 connected at opposite ends to two studs '34 fixed in the arms 26 yieldingly urges the positioning members toward each other and causes them to grip the shank portion of the sole between them.

For positioning the shank portion of the sole heightwiseof a shoe in the machine a pair of collars 36 are mounted on the stems 20 respectively, said collars being vertically adjustable on the stems. The two stems 20 are movable away from each other by the manual operation of a handle 38 secured to one of the arms 26 and projecting outwardly therefrom. The handle is operated to position the stems to receive the shank portion of a sole between them. Upon release of the handle the stems are urged toward each other by the spring 32 to engage the opposite edges of the sole and thus to hold it firmly in its appointed position in the machine. When there is no sole in the machine inward swinging movement of the stems 20 by the spring 32 is limited by the engagement of a stop screw 40 carried by one of the bell crank levers with a slide 42 which provides a mounting for the pivot pins 30 on which the bell crank levers are fulcrumed. The slide 42 is mounted for movement lengthwise of a shoe in the machine in a guideway provided by walls 44 formed in a slide 46 mounted for movement widthwise of a shoe in the machine in guideways 48 formed in a bracket 50 secured to a casting 52. The slide 42 is secured in adjusted position relatively to the slide 46 by a clamping bolt 54 extending through a slot 56 in the slide 42. It will be understood that movement of the slide 4 2 relatively to the slide 46 causes an adjustment of the sole locating assembly lengthwise of a shoe in the machine in accordance with the size of the sole to be positioned thereon. The adjustment of the slide 46 in the guideway 48 formed in the bracket 50 adjusts the sole positioning means widthwise of the machine in accordance with variations in the swing of the last. The slide 46 is held in adjusted position by clamping bolts 58 extending through slots 60 in the slide 46 and into the bracket 50. In order to indicate the adjustment of the slide 42 a suitable index mark 62 is formed therein for registration with a graduated scale formed on the slide 46. Similarly, the adjustment of the slide 46 is indicated by the registration of an index mark 64 with a graduated scale on the bracket 50. The graduations are calibrated with similar graduations provided on the heel rest supporting member (not shown) on which member the heel rest is adjustable widthwise of the machine to arrange it in accordance with the angular disposition of the heel end portion of a last to the forepart thereof. Thus, if the heel rest and the midsole locating means illustrated in the drawings are adjusted widthwise of a shoe in the machine until their respective index marks register with corresponding numerals on the scales indicating the appropriate adjustment, the midsole and the last will be correctly positioned relatively to each other and the midsole will be correctly assembled with the upper on the last.

In the operation of the illustrated machine the operator will make any necessary adjustments of the midsole locating means and the heel rest and will adjust the operating instrumentalities of the machine in accordance with the size and style of the shoe to be operated upon. The forepart of a midsole such, for example, as the midsole 66, illustrated in FIG. 4, is then laid upon the plate and positioned lengthwise and widthwise by causing the edge of the midsole at its toe end to engage the shoulders 18. The handle 38 is then depressed to move the stems 20 away from each other in order to permit the shank portion of the midsole to be positioned between them. Thereupon, the shank portion of the midsole is swung downwardly into its position illustrated in FIG. 3 in which it is supported by the collars 36 (FIG. 4) when the handle 38 is released to permit the stems 20 to engage the opposite edges of the shank portion of the midsole. Thus, the midsole is correctly positioned for assembly with a shoe upper such, for example, as the upper 68 illustrated in FIG. 4, assembled on a last 70 mounted in the machine and positioned at its toe end by the fingers 16 and at its heel end by a heel rest 78 (FIG. 3). A last, such for example as the last 70 illustrated in FIG. 3, having an upper 68 assembled thereon, is mounted in upright position on the midsole, the toe end of the last being positioned by bringing it into engagement with the fingers 16, the forepart of the last being supported by the plate 10. The plate is substantially coextensive with the forepart of the midsole and therefore supports its marginal portion against downward deflection during the operation of side grippers 72 and 74 and a toe gripper 76 to tension the upper over the last. Upon the completion of the operation of the grippers a pair of wipers '80 (FIG. 3) operate to wipe the toe portion of the upper downwardly upon the last and to form a crease between the body portion of the upper and its outturned flange, the grippers releasing the upper and moving together with the fingers 16 into retracted positions aflording clearance for the operation of the wipers. The wipers remain in their crease-forming position while the plate 10 is urged upwardly by a pressure plate (not shown) thus pressing the margin of the midsole against the outwardly flanged margin of the upper. The wipers are heated to activate a coating of cement on the margin of the midsole thereby to secure the midsole to the outwardly flanged margin of the upper preparatory to the subsequent permanent attachment of said marginal portions, for example by means of a sewn seam. The outturned flange at the heel portion of the upper may be secured to the margin of the midsole by a heated manually operated gripper operated at selected points at the heel end portion of the shoe. Preliminary to the operation of the gripper the heel end portion of the midsole is manually elevated to bring it into contact with the heel end portion of the last and the outwardly flanged margin of the heel portion of the upper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a machine for shaping shoe uppers over lasts, means for positioning the rear part of a loose midsole widthwise thereof comprising members movable toward and from each other into engagement with opposite edge faces of the midsole, means mounted on said members for supporting the midsole by engagement with opposite marginal portions thereof, a first slide on which said members are mounted, a second slide in which the first slide is mounted for adjustive movement lengthwise of the midsole, and a structure in which the second slide is mounted for adjustive movement widthwise of the midsole.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,158,196 Pepin May 16, 1939 2,168,475 Finn Aug. 8, 1939 2,763,016 Senfleben et al. Sept. 18, 1956 

